Coming from an immigrant family, being first-generation born here in America, I felt like your poem was the most relatable. Did you feel as if it were necessary to cover the fact that we all are equal? Did your experience with being an immigrant who moved from the Philippines to America motivate you to create this poem?
Mia, Grade 8
Despite not mentioning the word “Filipino,” I found the poem relatable in an inexplicable way. I find it amazing how poetry can span divisions and divides. Living in a state that is a little over 90% white, I never really encountered many Filipinos outside of my Titos and Titas and closest friends who somehow also found themselves in our city of 43,000. I’ve always understood the value of kabayan and I’m very grateful for stumbling upon your poem. It truly spoke to me and honed in on my identity as a Filipino-American.
Nick, Grade 9, New Hampshire
I really liked this poem because you were talking about how in America we do not have a king and how we are all free… One line in your poem that connects to what I was just saying is when you said “Do we now still pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor”… I can connect to it because I have a lot of people in my world that would try and do everything for me. I hope you do too.
Emyra, Grade 6
Your poem, “There are no kings in America” resonates with me because I am a third generation American; my maternal grandparents immigrated from Pakistan and my paternal grandparents immigrated from India… do I choose aloo paratha with kheema and respect for family, or a cheeseburger with fries and responsibility; perhaps a combination of both?
Abid, Grade 11, Minnesota
What do you do when you can’t express how you feel over certain situations? I’ve encountered many people—such as friends and family—who come to America in hopes of finding a better future, whether it’s for themselves or their children. My aunt is a great example in this case. She is from El Salvador and constantly comes to America looking for job opportunities to earn money for her family… I hope to one day be able to express and communicate my true feelings, one being the difficulties that non American families go through…
Melody, Grade 10, California
…you had a great ending with the words “there are no kings in America. Only gilded men we can topple again and again…” The poem made me feel both proud of my country for its revolutionary ideas and ashamed of the failure of how we have used those ideas. I felt as if I was being thrust into the questions of how we live today and what we can do to make things better. It made me better understand what kinds of ideas a war was fought for.
Serenity, Grade 9
The questions you pose to America hold a mirror to the state of our country today and haunt the reader by shattering preconceived notions of our country, revealing the difficult reality we face… Traversing through your poem brought so many ideas to mind, and I wondered what were some themes that you meant to express in this poem? Was there any singular dominating emotion that led you in writing this?
Alanna, Grade 11, Minnesota
As a young aspiring poet, topics about major issues in America motivate me to learn and write about them… I was born and raised in Alaska but being non-white has led to racism towards my entire family… leading to my love of writing and learning about these topics. Your final lines of “There are no kings in America. Only gilded men we can topple again and again” was a great way to complete the poem… It is amazing seeing a Filipino achieve Poet Laureate, because it will inspire the next generation of young people of the same ethnicity, like myself, to continue with their dreams.
Tyler, Grade 11, Alaska
Your poem “There are no kings in America” stuck out to me because it is a huge irony that the United States of America, a country founded by immigrants, now openly fears, persecutes, and demonizes individuals who just want part of the “American Dream”… I hope to find a career where I can also use my platform to speak on problems that other people won’t. Poetry has the power to influence others and force individuals to confront uncomfortable truths. Have you had specific experiences that shape your beliefs?
Hagen, Grade 9, California
Your poem “There are no kings in America” reminded me of the sacrifices my parents and grandparents made immigrating to America from Vietnam in the 1980s… When I was younger, the bits and pieces that I heard about my parents’ childhoods were merely stories, but now that I’m 16, I’ve learned to understand and appreciate the troubles they went through to build a better life for themselves… Aileen, your poem made me remember my roots and the impact immigrants like my parents and grandparents have had on America’s culture.
Julia, Grade 10, Texas
As part of the 2022 Dear Poet project, students around the country and the world wrote letters to Aileen Cassinetto in response to a video of her reading her poem “There are no kings in America” aloud. Aileen Cassinetto wrote letters back to ten of these students; their letters and her replies are included below.
Aileen Cassinetto also wrote a response to all of the participants of this year’s Dear Poet project.
“…Some of you also asked me if I believed in the American Dream and what it meant to me. No one comes to America without believing in the American Dream. The issue is that the American Dream has been redefined so many times over the last one hundred years. I think that it means different things to different people, and is now mostly associated with success, wealth and well-being. However, the American Dream was originally about equality, justice and democracy. When I first came to America, it was easier and more acceptable to say that I came here for economic reasons and to reunite with my family. In my heart of hearts, though, I came because I knew I could be a poet here.
Lastly, you asked me why I write poetry. I write poetry because it offers a world of possibilities and the possibility of a better world. I write poetry because there are stories that need to be told, and a kinder future that asks to be pursued…”
Aileen Cassinetto 